This is an undated contributed photo of Kenneth Bryan who is accused of asulting and pointing a loaded gun at an Erie police officer on April 28.CONTRIBUTED/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Erie police said an officer investigating a report of a person with a gun asked a man to stop and identify himself in the parking lot of an eastside business late Sunday night.

The officer told the man to keep his hands where he could see them when the suspect began reaching into his pocket. Within seconds, the suspect punched the officer in the face and pulled out a loaded .22-caliber handgun, which he pointed at the officer, Erie Police Chief Steve Franklin said.

The officer, Patrolman Marc Nelson, suffered a possible broken nose and other minor injuries but managed to grab the gun and get it away from the suspect before anyone was shot, Franklin said Monday morning.

Kenneth J. Bryan, 21, was taken into custody and faces charges including attempted homicide in the incident, which happened in the 2400 block of German Street shortly after 11 p.m. on Sunday.

According to police, Nelson was on patrol Sunday night when he received information about a man wearing a tan and beige jacket and driving a blue Chevrolet Cobalt who was in the area of the Country Fair Store at East 12th and Parade streets and who possibly had a handgun.

Nelson spotted the suspect, but had to leave the area to investigate a shots-fired call, police said.

About 40 minutes later, the suspected gunman was spotted in the area of East 24th and Parade streets. When Nelson went to investigate, he found the man walking in the 300 block of East 24th Street, police wrote in court documents.

Nelson confronted the man in the parking lot of a nearby business, and that's where Bryan punched Nelson in the face and pulled out the gun, Franklin said.

Police later determined that the gun used in the incident had been reported stolen in Erie on Nov. 14, 2010, Franklin said.

Bryan, of the 300 block of East 23rd Street, was arraigned Monday morning by Erie 4th Ward District Judge Tom Robie on charges of attempted homicide, aggravated assault, carrying a firearm without a license, receiving stolen property, illegal possession of a weapon, recklessly endangering another person and resisting arrest.

Robie placed Bryan in the Erie County Prison on $150,000 bond.

TIM HAHN can be reached at 870-1731 or by e-mail. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNhahn.